Life is Change
by Verticalness
Summary: Set in Breaking Dawn, as and after Bella is changed. How will this affect Bella & Jacob's relationship? Mostly Jacob's POV, though a bit of Edward's and Bella's too. Chapter three coming soon.
1. Chapter 1

I could hear her screaming.

I could hear Bella, my Isabella, screaming in agony through the white walls of the wretched Cullen's house. I whined and shoved my nose into the cool dirt, thinking that I might be feeling almost as much pain as she was right now.

_What the hell are you doing up there_? Embry sighed in my head, sympathetic but also disdainful.

_Fuck, Jacob, I can barely walk straight with you yammering on_, Quil complained, less patient.

_They're killing her_, I moaned. _They're fucking killing her_.

_No shit, man_, Quil replied, a touch of uneasiness in that thought.

_We can kill _them_ now, though_, Embry amended, his thoughts giving the equivalent of a grin.

_Not yet_! Sam snapped, suddenly cutting into the conversation. _Not ever, if we can help it_.

Quil and Embry groaned in unison.

Both Seth and Leah entered then, Leah immediately letting out a snarl of complaint. In a distant awareness, I could feel her shaking her furry head.

_Lord, Jacob, shut_ up!

_I'm sorry, Jake_, Seth thought quietly.

I sighed a thank you. Another high, shuddering screech shook the quiet. I could hear a leech—that leech, her leech--yelling.

"_Carlisle, can't you give her more_?!"

I could feel the others rock where they stood as a wave of misery that made me wish for death pounded over me.

Leah snarled in frustration in my head.

_Would you get the fuck away from there before I drag you out for my own sanity_?

_Leah_, Sam softly reprimanded, and I felt her flinch.

_I can't leave_, I cried.

Leah growled, _It's not like you being there's gonna stop it_.

A thought came to me then.

But what if it did?

Embry, Seth, and Quil roared, _No!_, and then there was Sam's voice, all gentility gone, just cold and hard.

_Jacob, you will not go any closer._

I rocked back on my haunches and let out a short, piercing howl of anguish.

Suddenly a figure appeared in the front doorway, bright light and Bella's screams spilling out to silhouette her. It was the tiny bloodsucker I'd met a year and a half ago, straight backed and stiff. When she spoke, her voice was calm, but with a strong icy edge.

"Go home, Jacob Black. You being here is not helping anyone."

Funny how similar her words were to Leah's.

_Come home, Jake_, Seth whispered, agreeing with the voice he could hear through my thoughts.

In a moment I had made the shuddering change, trusting the blackness to hide me. The lack of voices in my head was a relief, but the ability to cry again instantly took me down to my knees. I snarled at her through my sobs, voice hoarse and breaking:

"_Murderer_."

And I hoped to God he heard that.

_**Edward's POV;**_

As the word "murderer" etched itself into my brain, Alice appeared in the doorway, a look of disgust on her pale features. Her mind was running wild with endless rants about the infernal dog, though verbally she was silent. I glanced at her, then back to Bella, lying on the huge bed, eyes rolling and body twitching. I stroked her face as she inhaled for another scream. Upon this scream, though, like a feather on a gust of wind, was a name that cracked a fissure through my stone heart.

"_JACOB_!_"_

_**Bella's POV;**_

It was like my dream from so long ago, where Jacob had told me so desperately to run.

I didn't know how long I'd screamed for Edward, begged him to stop the vicious flames that burned in my blood. But each time, so softly, with such anguish in his eyes, he refused, apologizing again and again.

So, eventually, I turned to Jacob. After all, he was always there for me, even when Edward was not.

"_JACOB_!"

I shuddered at the awful sound of my voice.

But outside, past the fire in my veins and Edward's icy fingers and the Cullens' white walls, I thought I heard a wolf howling.

Then the pain overtook me and I couldn't see or hear or think, only scream.

_**Jacob's POV;**_

I was just setting my front paws on the ground when I heard her scream my name. The single, desperate word knocked me off my feet and pounded a howl from my gut.

_Shit, Jacob_, Leah growled.

But, to my astonishment, Embry took up the call in La Push, loud and deep. Quil and Seth promptly joined, and after a moment of hesitation, so did Sam. Leah groaned.

_I'm going to bed._ The awareness that was hers faded and disappeared, while we continued to howl. Finally, Sam cut his short and whispered, _Come home, Jacob. There's nothing you can do._

Nothing I could do.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next month after that terrible night, I grew to know intimately the meaning of the phrase "a living hell."

More than once I contemplated suicide, which was vehemently objected to by the pack, to the point of Sam banning me from even thinking about it. Sam had actually been much too kind about it all; more than once he'd forced the guys (and Leah) out of their alternate forms to give me privacy.

It was an oddly sunny fall day that she came. I was lying in my little pool of self-pity in a dark, enclosed space in the forest I'd come to like, trying to clear my mind and sleep, which I hadn't been doing so well. Brady and Collin weren't helping—only a few meters away, they were chatting busily about girls and school and other things I didn't care about. Finally, I couldn't take it.

_Would you _go away?

For a moment their thoughts were very quiet; scared. Then Collin tentatively replied, _Sorry, Jake. Um…you wanna go for a run_?

I growled, wondering at their idiocy.

Our_ idiocy_? Brady questioned. _I think you mean_ his.

_Hey!_ objected Collin, shoving Brady roughly.

_Enough! _I snarled, rising to my feet to tower over them.

That was when I caught her scent.

_Leech_, Brady and Collin growled together. Sam broke in then, coming out of his doze.

_Jacob! Recognize the scent_?

_No…_I gasped, though Sam got the true answer from my underlying thoughts.

Yes, I knew that scent. I knew it because I'd pined to have it in my nostrils for weeks. I'd yearned to touch the soft skin that accompanied it. But even in my nightmares, it had never been as terribly marred as it was now.

_Shit_, Sam swore quietly. After a moment of quick thoughts, he slowed it down to conversation speed.

_Jacob, are you…_?

I wasn't sure if he could catch up with my thoughts, they were speeding by so fast. Bella, Bella, vampire Bella. Did I want to see Bella? Yes, I needed to see Bella. But as a leech? No. What if she wanted to see me? Of course she wanted to see me, why else would she be here? But what if I wanted to kill her? Switch first? But what if she or her vamp wanted to kill me? I could always switch back….

And so on until Sam finally cut in, demanding, _Jacob, are you leaving or staying_?

I swallowed. _Staying_, I finally replied. _Which form do you think_?

Sam scoffed._Well, you're going to want to be able to talk to her, won't you_?

I sighed. Maybe I didn't. But I saw his point.

_Jake, I'm coming up there,_ Sam said. _Just in case._

_Nothing's gonna happen._

_You can't be sure._ Sam said that with a touch of a sigh in his voice. _Brady, Collin, stay back until I say otherwise. _

They grudgingly agreed. Taking a deep breath and hoping the pain didn't hit me too hard when I changed, I slipped smoothly back into Jacob Black. I gasped and curled over as a fresh wave of fully human hurt swept over me. The smell of her had awakened so many better-forgotten memories, so many things I longed for so much.

Cautiously, no slower or faster than absolutely necessary, I picked my through the green forest, following the scent I both loathed and loved so much. I stopped in a spot clear of trees, though it was still very dark. For a moment I couldn't see her—but then she was there, and I couldn't breathe.

She was predictably pale, but it still surprised me just _how_ pale; her skin was no longer ivory—now it was whiter than new fallen snow, as white as someone who had been dead for weeks. Which, I suppose, was appropriate. Her skin was clear of any blemishes that might have spotted it before; a perfect expanse of marble. Her shining brown hair seemed longer, tumbling halfway down her back. She stood tall, straight, and stiff, nothing at all like the shy Bella I'd come to know and love. Her face was infuriatingly calm and composed; evidently Edward had been teaching her how to piss off a werewolf.

I looked her straight in the eye, now the predictable Cullen family gold.

"Jacob," she whispered, and her voice was not shaking with held-back tears, or hoarse with emotion. It was sad but perfectly smooth, anything more than a trace of emotion tucked safely away from where any scary wolves could get at it.

I did not reply.

"Jacob," she breathed, "Jacob, I'm sorry. Sorry for coming here and sorry for leaving. I just had to make sure you were…alive."

I snorted and muttered, "Only barely."

She still heard it and winced slightly, her mask still not quite perfect.

"Would you try to look past the smell, Jake?" Why did she have to keep saying my name? "Besides that, we're just Bella and Jacob. We're still us."

"No, Bella," I growled, the words low and fast. "We're not 'just us'. I haven't been just Jacob Black since the first time I changed. And you—I can barely classify you as a person anymore."

Bella's eyes tightened the tiniest bit.

"Well, you're still you. Still absolutely in love with me, even now. That was always your defining feature, wasn't it, Jake?"

My nostrils flared. So the leeches had taught her to be cruel, too.

"Oh yeah, Bella?" I hissed. "Then what's yours?"

At this she actually smiled slightly, showing bright white teeth.

"You really want to know?"

I didn't quite under her answer. "Yes?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't mean to sound vain, but did you ever noticed that, regardless of species, people—well, males—were always kind of fascinated with me? Well, now"—she looked up and grinned—"I can _make_ them fascinated with me."

I tried to swallow the bile that was itching up my throat. My disgusted horror must have shown, because she laughed. The sound was no longer warm and soft, but light and metallic, like shattering glass.

"No, Jake. Not like that. Just…I can kind of, you know, hypnotize them, for a short period of time." When I didn't reply, she continued, "I'm not sure if it works on werewolves yet. All I've been trying to do is help you keep calm, so I don't if it's me or just your self control."

I looked at her for a moment, then asked very softly, "Bella, why did you come here?"

For a moment the mask cracked down the middle, showing sorrow and anxiety; then she composed her face, but wasn't able to hide the emotion in her voice.

"I missed you, Jake," she whispered, and her lip trembled, though as far as I knew bloodsuckers couldn't cry.

Then she was right in front of me, clenching my hand tight in hers. I leaned away, wrinkling my nose and concentrating on stopping the trickle of heat down my back.

"It's not that bad, is it, Jake?" she whispered, looking up at me earnestly. "Just this—holding hands—it's not that hard. All you have to do is squeeze back, Jake. If I can do it"—

"It's easier for you, Bells," I joked weakly. "You don't have to breathe."

She laughed again and put an arm around me, pretending not to notice when I stiffened. Her very touch repulsed me, but her smell, under all the sweetness, awoke so many memories I'd fought to keep down. I hated her being so close, but at the same time, didn't want her to let go.

After a painful moment, I swallowed down indecision and instinct, and lightly kissed the top of her head, trying not to breathe. I distinctly felt her jerk back, and chuckled grimly.

"See?" I murmured. "Not so easy."

She sighed and relaxed against me again.

"Sorry."

For a moment we were both silent, trying to remember how nice this used to feel. There was still something that made me never want to let her go, but the cruel fact was, our skin itched wherever it touched, hating the contrast of ice against fire. The sweet stink of her burned in my nose, and hard as I tried, I couldn't stop calculations running through my head, judging what her new leech strengths and weaknesses might be. Finally, she stepped away.

"The night Edward changed me," she said softly, "I thought I heard a wolf howling." She looked back up at me as I winced. "You were there, weren't you?"

I couldn't meet her eyes. "You were screaming…so loud. I had nightmares for weeks."

Now she winced.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was your decision."

"Which is making you miserable."  
"Not your problem."

She put her hand on my face, lightly enough that our skin was barely touching.

"Should I come back? I'd like to talk to you more, but I think I should go now."

I raised an eyebrow. "Eddie dear calling?"

"No," she replied evenly. "Just my self-control waning."

I nodded, holding back a grim smile. "Alright, then. But we'll have to figure out where. Sam's trying not to make trouble, but…Are any of the Cullens here?" I said the name instead of 'leeches' especially for her. Then I realized that _she_ was a Cullen now; I quickly amended, "Besides you, I mean."

She gave a small smile. "Only Edward."

I nodded, swallowing down the insults that wanted to spill from my mouth. I'd thought I'd smelled him.

"Should we meet on our side of the line?" she asked.

"It won't make a difference, really. Treaty's been broken. Might be good to be as far away as possible from Paul, though."

She smiled again, wryly.

"The forest by Edward's old house, then? Sam's welcome to come if wants."

She nodded towards the thicker trees; a low bark of greeting rose out from them.

"Will Edward be coming?" I restrained myself from letting more than a trace of a sneer into my voice. Still, her eyes narrowed.

"Only to make sure I keep calm."

I bit my lip to keep down any stupid retorts, and forced myself to nod. She looked down, thinking.

"Alright, then. Tomorrow at noon?"

"Fine with me."

She looked up and smiled a little sadly.

"I really do miss you, Jacob. Just..." She gave a little chuckle. "Sometimes a stupid junkie wants their hit more than air or the sun, right?"

Even now, Bella could make me smile. Maybe it took a bit more effort, but still.

I took her hand and squeezed it briefly, letting go quickly.

"See you, Bells."

For a moment it looked like she was going to cry; then the mask came back, like a good predictable bloodsucker.

"Bye for now, Jake."

And then I was alone.


	3. Chapter 3

That night I thought of every possible way to make tomorrow's meeting with Bella go well. I lay painfully awake stressing for minutes, hours. I eventually fell asleep trying to remember how good she used to smell.

When I woke the day was overcast, but not raining yet. I pulled on some jeans and headed to the kitchen, running a hand through my messy hair. Billy gave me a wary look as I dropped down at the table with a bowl of cereal. When he didn't say anything, I looked up again.

"What?" I demanded, edgy. Billy flinched slightly.

"Nothing." He looked down, pursed his lips. "Nervous?"

I took a deep breath. "Kind of."

"Sam's going along, right?"

"Yeah."

Billy nodded. "Nothing too bad can happen, then."

I swallowed and nodded back, focusing on my food.

I finished eating, then decided to hang out at the beach to pass some time. I told Billy where I was going and jogged out the door, needing to get away from his smothering presence.

I sat down and crossed my long legs on the mottled rocks, barely registering the dampness. Things like that didn't bother me anymore. The grey sky was swirling menacingly; I could smell a storm. The tension in the air raised the hair on my arms.

The indecisiveness of it all was truly killing me. On one hand, I wanted nothing more than for Bella to stay here, with me. I wanted to be able to get past what she was, the horrible creature she had doomed herself to being, and hold her in my arms forever. To melt the ice that covered her heart with my heat.

On the other hand, though, I _needed_ her to go away. I needed her to stay away and leave me alone to painfully, slowly sort myself out again.

But God, did it hurt so much when she wasn't there.

After awhile, I got up and walked back to the house, sticking my head in the door and calling to Billy, "I'm heading out now. I'll hang out at Sam's till it's time to go."

"Right, Jake," he replied. "Don't do anything stupid, and listen to Sam."

I clenched my eyes tight and stopped the edgy heat of frustration in my mouth.

"Yeah. See you later."

"Bye, Jake."

As soon as I was outside I jogged into the trees and stripped off my pants, needing to get away from the wholly human nervousness. I easily exploded into fur and four legs and sharp, clean instincts, and started toward Sam and Emily's.

Jared was the only one with me, heading towards Kim's place. The eager images in his mind made me want to retch; he laughed at me.

_Atleast it's a distraction from your leech,_ he sniggered.

I rolled my eyes, knowing he would feel it, though my throat clenched slightly as he mentioned her.

_We'll all be happy when you imprint,_ Jared sighed.

I snorted. _If._

_Jeez, your depressing._

_Why shouldn't I be?_

He sighed again.

_The girls at school atleast smell better_, he replied.

I chuckled grimly. _Not by much._

He groaned. _Well, good luck with your leech._

Venom seeped into my thoughts. Even if it was the cruel truth—that she was a disgusting, reeking leech,—in my mind, it didn't give him any right to dislike her the way I could hear he did, even if it was only because she hurt me so much.

_Thanks._

He slipped into a human again, leaving behind only vague strings of sympathy, disbelief, and annoyance. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I concentrated on the sound of my breath and the feel of the solid ground beneath me until I reached the Uley house.

I smoothly phased back into weak senses and dark skin, untied my pants from my leg and pulled them on. I jogged up to the cosy house and knocked on the door. Emily answered, looking a little ruffled, though smiling warmly when she saw me.

"Hey, Jake," she greeted a little breathily, moving over so I could get my too-tall frame inside. I had a feeling I didn't want to be in Sam's head right now.

Sam was leaning against the kitchen table, smiling slightly.

"Hey, Jacob," he said, the smile fading a bit as his eyes scanned my face. "How're you doing?"

I swallowed and leaned my head against the kitchen doorway. "Okay," I answered finally.

"We can leave anytime now," he told me gently, "wouldn't hurt to be a little early."

I nodded. After another strangled moment of deliberation, I replied, "Yeah. Let's go now."

Sam and Emily shared a brief glance of something I didn't want to understand, though I could—pity, a touch of apprehensiveness. Sam leaned in and kissed her softly, sending a pang through my own heart. _That_ was the kind of love I wanted with Bella, the kind I knew we could have had. But it was too late now. Much too late.

Sam murmured to her, "It'll be all right."

Emily nodded uneasily, stealing an anxious glance at me. She stood on her toes and kissed my cheek, whispering, "Take care, Jake."

A rush of emotion, thick as syrup, made my throat clench—these people loved me so much. And I was hurting them with my own hurt, the hurt I felt because of a _leech_.

The weaker part of my mind shrugged away from the resentment that surged towards Bella right then. As Emily pulled away I managed to croak, "Thanks."

She gave me another warm smile, worry in her eyes. Sam stepped forward then, clapping a hand on my shoulder in a very fatherly way. I glanced at him warily.

"Just try to stay calm," he advised very gently, doing his best not to set me off, "and if she says anything you don't like, just leave."

I nodded, the syrup constricting my throat again, though now from nerves. He turned and squeezed Emily's hand once more, then led me out the door into the light rain that had started to fall.

We quickly stripped down, averting our eyes from each other till we'd both changed, though it didn't make much difference any more. When you were a wolf, you naturally had it all hanging out—it made me kind of self-conscious when Bella was around, but there really wasn't much I could do about it.

As expected, I could feel lingering feelings of lust through Sam, though he was trying hard to push it back. We didn't say much as we ran, trying to stay in our own heads. Once or twice Sam asked me how I was feeling, trying to get a clearer picture than the mess of tangled emotions I was experiencing. I couldn't find the words to tell him much more than "nervous". We both instinctively stiffened as we crossed the treaty line, and didn't talk much after that.

By the time we reached the designated spot, the rain was coming down hard and blowing sideways, though the trees were thick enough to protect us from some of it. The strong wind blew the scent of leech towards us; as I recognized it, I heard Sam wondering why I could tell which leech it was so quickly and he couldn't. I winced and tried to pretend I hadn't heard it.

_You ready_? Sam asked, turning his huge head to look me in the face.

I took a steadying breath. _As ready as I'll ever be_.

Sam nodded. _Don't hesitate to change if you need to. But_ only if you need to._ They've broken the treaty. We can do what we want_.

_Yeah_. The syrup was back in my throat again. Tilting my head to lap up some of the rain, I phased back and quickly pulled on my pants. I jogged into the slight clearing near the river. My eyes immediately fell to Bella, pale and vampiric, lounging on a fallen tree and tracing patterns on the bark with long, white fingers. Her posture stiffened when I stepped forward, though she smiled as she looked up.

"Hey, Jake," she said softly, amber eyes analyzing my face.

I smiled back as sincerely as possible. "Hey." I hesitated, not knowing if I should go any closer.

She beckoned to me. "Come over here, Jake. I won't bite," she joked.

I half-way smiled, but my throat clenched at the cruel irony of the words. Still, I walked over and sat beside her on the log.

She lightly put her hand over mine, the contrast between our skin tones shocking. She looked up at me with wistful eyes.

"So how have you been doing?" she asked, searching my face for an answer.

I swallowed and looked away. "Not so great, actually."

She sighed. "I can't come back, Jake. I'm gone."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "You think I haven't realized that?"

"I think you need to try and get past it. I'm not…I'm not worth your pain."

I raised my eyebrows. It seemed to be a vampire trait to be painfully cliché.

"If that was true I would've given up a long time ago. I'm not completely stupid, you know." The words came out a little harsher than I'd meant them.

"I know." Her voice was very soft, cushioned by the muggy summer rain; she was letting more emotion through today. I heard her swallow—did bloodsuckers have spit? "I know that you're caring and rude and funny and impulsive, and certainly not stupid."

I looked away; suddenly she seemed much too close. What _the_ _hell_ was she doing? Her leech wasn't far, and honestly, I didn't trust his self-control much more than hers. And with her so very close, my worst urges clashed like swords: the human urge to kiss her until she forgot about her stupid hunk of rock; and the wholly animal urge to tear her to shreds.

"Thanks, I guess," I muttered, scarcely breathing.

She laughed softly, her cold breath burning icily in my nose, especially tangible in the muggy air.

"You don't smell as bad as the others say," she murmured, smiling, as if she'd read my thoughts. I looked back at her with raised eyebrows and a slight smile.

"You smell alot better than the others," I replied, "I can still kind of smell what you used to smell like…."

She sighed and leaned her head against my shoulder. Despite what she'd said, I could hear she wasn't breathing. I didn't move to embrace her; I was steeling myself to do what I'd known I would have to do for a long time. After the fight with the newborn leeches, so many months ago, she'd "broken-up" with me, for lack of a better term. But somehow she'd found time to come see me occasionally, enough to keep my stupid love for her up and strong. I knew saying the words was next to meaningless; she'd decided this a long time ago, probably hoped I'd say the words a thousand times. What I was deliberating saying was next to a lie, and it would hurt like hell to spit them out. But, in the long run…atleast, that's what I was telling myself.

"Bella…"

She looked up, question in her eyes, lifting her head from my shoulder slightly.

"I don't…" Say it, damn it, say it.

"I think…" I swallowed the thick lump in my throat, trying to push it down. Suddenly the words were flowing too fast for me to control, a torrent of things perhaps better left unsaid. "I think you should leave, and not come back, Bells. It's not…pretending we can be friends, pretending this can work on any level, is lying. You chose, alright? You can't have both. It was…good to see you again, I guess, to know you're still…alive." God, this was hard. "But I can't keep wishing, Bella. I should've stopped…a long…time ago."

My heart was throbbing painfully in my throat, dragging my voice down to a low whisper. Bella's white, angled face looked pained.

"Jake"—

"Please, Bells." I tried to make my voice flat and hard, like stone, like a leech. "Save it. I can't love you anymore. I don't. At all." My stomach twisted at the cruel lies in the words. But I wanted to break this off for good, make her never come back again. Painful as it was. "This was your choice. You made it. Fair enough. And I can't even be friends with _a leech_."

That's when she snapped.

Something must have been building inside of her, something that I knew was very, very unfair. But when were leeches ever fair? It was hard enough to interpret what a girl was thinking, let alone a bloodsucker. Which was what she was. I'd finally, finally accepted it.

And apparently, atleast a part of her didn't like it.

Her hand snapped out of her lap, swinging across for my neck. In that millisecond before she touched me I knew that I could easily change and take off her careless, newborn head in one swift lunge. But I also knew that I loved her too much, despite everything I'd said, to do anything like that. Too much to even resist; I knew doing anything in this form was useless. I leaned back so her claws atleast wouldn't get stuck in me, and braced myself for the pain.

Long, leech-sharp nails cut deep into my chest, slicing easily through the dark skin. Sam exploded from the forest next to me, ear-splitting, furious growls ripping from him, and Edward appeared from nowhere, dragging Bella back from Sam's open jaws. I fell off the log to my knees, clutching at my torso. Bella's mouth hung in a horrified 'O'; Edward was looking at me with a curious, puzzled look on his face, though he said nothing.

"Jacob!" Bella cried, fighting against Edward's restraining arms. "_Jacob!_"

Edward's eyes flickered to Sam, hearing something Bella and I couldn't. I saw him nod slightly, then he called to me very calmly, "Sam would like you to change and go home, Jacob." He murmured to Bella, "He would also like us to leave."

Bella was still staring at me with agonized eyes. "I'm sorry, Jacob," she choked, her voice breaking, "So sorry."

I swallowed and staggered to my feet, gasping as pain shot through my chest. It would heal before the day was out, but that didn't stop it from hurting like hell.

I took a last glance at the vampires, Bella crying tearlessly into Edward's arm. Then I stepped into the dark of the forest, taking off my pants and boxers and tying them around my leg with some rope from the pants' pocket. I reluctantly made the change; for a moment the pain flared sickeningly, then dulled to the fierce, animalistic will to live.

_Go home, Jacob,_ Sam ordered, now.

_Yes,_ I replied wearily. I limped into the darkness, too tired to feel misery or pain or hate. Too tired to hate even myself.

* * *

Two weeks later, Sam and I were conversing quietly in the forest when the ugly scent of leech tainted the air yet again. Sam jumped to his feet immediately, and Jared turned around from where he was to head our way. Now that the leeches had both broken the treaty, _and_ attempted an attack, Sam wasn't so decided on the whole 'not starting a war' thing.

Edward appeared from the trees, white hands held high in what would normally be a gesture of peace—but what somehow it didn't feel like it, seeing as the leech's hands were just as deadly as any gun. I rose to stand at Sam's right shoulder.

"I am not hear to fight or make trouble," the bloodsucker said clearly, looking Sam in the eye. "I'm here as a messenger."

_Can we shoot him?_ I joked quietly to Sam. Of course, the leech heard it, and gave a small smile.

_Go on_, Sam prompted.

"Bella sent me to apologize for what happened last time she saw you, Jacob." For a moment the leech hesitated, then continued in a detached voice, "She wanted to tell you that she misses you, no matter what you are, and that she won't disturb you again…unless you want her too. She wants you to know that…she loves you. She knows it won't make much of a difference now, but she wants you to remember it."

This little speech seemed very difficult for the bloodsucker to make. I almost laughed for the first time in awhile. Instead, I took a steadying breath, knowing this would probably be the last thing I said to the first girl I had ever really loved.

_Tell her_…. Sam glanced at me, surprised I was answering. I ignored him.

_Tell her that I'll miss her, and that I do love her too…in a way. But also tell her that I am going to get over it. Even if takes awhile. Tell her not to come back; she's broken this thread of her... existence, and can't reconnect it again. If she ever comes back, I will not be waiting. I won't forget her, though. Tell her not to forget me. Tell her to remember the times where I still smelt fine, and I'll do the same for her._

I met his eyes, surprisingly soft, and rose to my feet to tower over him.

_And you _will _tell her that I said all this. If I find out you haven't…._

Edward gave a crisp nod.

"I don't have quite enough enmity towards you that I wouldn't do this, Jacob Black. We won't disturb you again."

He nodded to Sam and then me, and turned to leave.

_Adios, leech_.

I heard the smile in his voice. "Goodbye, dog."

Two weeks later, I imprinted.

* * *

Finally done! :D I decided I was going to make this go into my first fanfic written, Jacob and Cecile: Imprinted. If you're gonna read that now, remember that I wrote that before I knew I was going to do this, so there's no references to what happened here and some continuity problems, the most notieceable being that in that one there's reference to the Cullens still being there. So bear me with me x3 I just thought it would be a good ending. Hope you liked it

Aaaaaaaand here's the disclaimer I forgot to put at the beginning: **Much as I wish it, none of these smexy characters belong to me. They are Stephenie Meyer's, and hers alone.**


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